How one Lincoln Park couple made room for their Texas roots

And that's particularly true of a home in Lincoln Park that sports a sparkling red kitchen countertop as bright and big as a Texas bowl o' red.

Which makes it an absolutely perfect fit for the family that lives there.

That would be Texas natives Allison (roots: Austin) and Doug (roots: Houston) Bacon, a couple who met in Chicago on a date set up by their folks. Married 17 years, they have a daughter, Taylor, 13, and son, Andy, 11.

And a 200-square-foot kitchen with an eye-popping big "Texas red" island.

Of course, that's not the only element of the home that reflects their Texas roots. There's the art -- they're avid collectors -- from a painting of San Antonio that hangs over the fireplace to several works by Bob Bacon, Doug's dad, whose work focuses on Southwest themes. And there is the framed Texas flag hanging above the stairs "to remind me as I walk out into the Midwest," Allison says.

The decision to put an emphasis on Texas came several years ago when the Bacons decided to update the home they'd lived in since 1996. Working with designer Jase Frederick, Allison and Doug wanted to incorporate their love of bold color (including those signature "Texas red" accents) throughout the house. Frederick found a way to balance those bold-yet-sentimental touches with real-world practicality and a streamlined look. To offset the bright red CeasarStone kitchen island, she chose chocolate cabinetry, a thick clear glass countertop that sits on a stainless steel underlay and porcelain floor tiles that look like metal; glass and porcelain mosaics tie it all together in the backsplash.

An old French farm table is center stage. Two softly muted multicolored cabinets by a Houston artist filled with cookbooks sit nearby.